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by amethyst-noir (Arbonne)



Series: In This Waking Life [2]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt Stephen Strange, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Takes Care of Stephen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 23:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15896625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir
Summary: Stephen suffers from a migraine attack, Tony helps him through it.





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by - and named after - one of the most wonderful songs by Depeche Mode (the soundtrack of my life).

"You should drink less." _And sleep more. Preferably in the same bed as me._ It was two in the morning and Stephen had woken up from a nightmare only to find himself alone in bed. Again. So he went in search of his errant partner and found him in the lab with a glass of something alcoholic beside him. Stephen's stomach protested and he closed his eyes for a moment to collect himself.

"And you should be away on the other side of the world and stop interdimensional threats. Instead you're here and bothering me in the middle of the night." Tony sounded as exhausted as Stephen felt and the insult didn't even rate a one on the scale. He still had his back turned to the door and typed something on a virtual keyboard. "And for the record: I didn't have a drop. Of Alcohol. It's just... here. A reminder of sorts." He gave the glass beside him a disgusted look and turned around to face Stephen for a moment before his attention was back on the screen. "I just had an idea and couldn't sleep and so I thought I'll come here and work on it. This way you get your beauty sleep and I get something done."

And just like that the headache that had been lurking just around the corner for the whole day and had been steadily getting worse since he woke up just exploded. Suddenly Stephen was sick of it. He was sick of the lonely nights, the arguments, sick of the all the pain. Tony's, his own, he couldn't stand it anymore.

"I can't," he began but didn't finish. Instead he made his way across the room and sank on the chair besides Tony.

"Can't what?" Tony asked without turning around, still typing away at something that looked like a schematic of the Enterprise. "Look at me? Be with me? Stand me? Come on, I've heard it all before. You can say it, I can take it."

 _No you can't._ "I don't want to do this anymore."

He only realized how _that_ had sounded when Tony's only reaction was a shocked intake of air before he stared at the hologram in front of him as if it where the center of the universe. "Wow. Okay. I understand. I think."

For a moment Stephen was tempted to turn back time just a few seconds so that he didn't have to live through another instance of being a fucking idiot that was too stupid for basic human interaction and kindness.

Instead he let his head fall onto Tony's shoulder and sighed. Tony relaxed immediately and turned his head towards Stephen.

"You idiot," Stephen said tiredly. "You know exactly what I meant so don't come with this low self-esteem crap. I thought I was finally getting somewhere with that." He had also thought that the migraines were getting better. The price for arrogance, he would never stop paying it.

That, at least, earned him a fond smile that vanished the moment Tony finally got a good look at him. "You've got a headache again, don't you? You always get bitchy when you're hurting." Another few keystrokes and the lights lowered to almost darkness. "How bad?"

 _Bitchy?_ He was too tired to protest and it was kind of the truth. He also tended to start stupid fights and insult the people he loved when he was hurting. "Mmmmh," was his answer as he closed his eyes and let Tony take most of his weight. The sudden aggression had vanished even faster than it had appeared but it left the raging headache behind. The only thing he wanted right now was to be in Tony's arms and being taken care of.

Gentle hands dislodged him from his semi-comfortable position and forced him to sit upright. "Stephen? Hey, baby, don't fall asleep on me now. You'll regret it in the morning. Hell, in ten minutes. Come on, let's get you back to bed. No, no, sshhh, no reason for you to open your eyes. Just relax and trust me to get you there, okay?"

Tony maneuvered Stephen up and led him out of the lab, all the while muttering to himself about stupid wizards who wouldn't take care of themselves and flying cloaks that were sleeping when you needed their help. "I could say the same about you," he finally managed after Tony sat him down on the bed. "Only you're not sleeping, you're not here." He was unfair and childish, he knew that but couldn't help himself. How often had he left Tony alone? In bed, in the house, in this _dimension_?

Tony didn’t react to his words except for a very soft "bitchy" and a soft kiss on his forehead, before he patted him on the shoulder and increased the pressure gently until Stephen realized what he was meant to do and carefully lowered himself down on the bed. "You'll go back to sleep. Don't worry," he added as Stephen took a breath to protest, "I just need a moment to finish something and then I'll stay with you. And I'll try to do better in the future, I promise."

That last bit confused Stephen completely. "You can't do anything about my migraines", he said finally. They were just a fact of life, just like the pain in his damaged hands. If he were in a better state he could do something against it with magic but he had learned the hard way that migraines and magic didn't mix well. Neither did medication and so all he could do was to try to sleep it off and hope for the best. Sometimes the pain was gone on the next day. Sometimes it lingered for a while before it faded away.

He didn't have to see, he could _feel_ Tony's reaction and the exasperated eyeroll. "Whatever. You're too exhausted to argue and I can't be bothered. I have a stubborn boyfriend to take care of. I'll be back in a moment. Try to fall asleep in the meantime."

 _Who's the bitchy one now?_ "Yes, dear."

He smiled at the disgruntled sound he got back and tried to find a position that was as comfortable as the one in the lab, leaning against Tony's shoulder. Before he could manage that Tony was back and gently maneuvering him on his side. "Come here, now. We've been through this before. Roll over and let me hold you."

It took some effort but finally Stephen found a comfortable position. With Tony behind him and gently cradling his body and stabilizing his posture he had a chance of falling back asleep. "Sleep, Stephen. Try to shut down that lovely mind of yours and I swear to god if you even _think_ about pulling that astral projection shit again I will…"

Stephen shuddered. There was no way in hell or any other dimension nor any reward that would tempt him to try _that_ again. Instead he pushed his back a little bit harder against Tony's chest. "Just hold me, please. And be here when I wake up."

"Done and done." Tony pressed a soft kiss against his neck. "I've cancelled everything for tomorrow and told Wong to hold the fort for a few days. I'm going to be your shadow and you're going to be sick of my face before I let you out of here again." His hold tightened even more but instead of trapped it only made Stephen feel safer and more protected. And loved.

"Never," he whispered back before he finally relaxed enough to let his mind drift off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted [here](https://amethyst-noir.tumblr.com/post/175680408491/home).


End file.
